Nagasaki and Kumamoto prefectures want the government to recommend that a group of 13 sites related to Nagasaki’s Christian past be listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. A draft proposal was handed to culture minister Hakubun Shimomura this week (1/22), presented by the governors of Kumamoto and Nagasaki. If the proposal receives a recommendation by September, the U.N. body is expected to begin deliberating on it as soon as next year. The 13 sites include national treasure Oura Cathedral in Nagasaki, and the former site of Hara Castle in Minamishimabara.
Oura Church
Twelve of the 13 sites are found across Nagasaki; the other is in Kumamoto Prefecture. Nagasaki was the starting point of Christian missions to Japan. However, the Tokugawa shogunate imposed a ban on it in 1614, forcing the religious movement to go underground for about 250 years. The end of the regime saw Christianity regain a foothold in the region. At the meeting with the Nagasaki and Kumamoto governors on Tuesday, Shimomura said the government will give due consideration to the proposal and welcomes more World Heritage sites in Japan. Source: Japan Times
